Musk X pays multi-million fines in Brazil… to the wrong account – World – The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and news from the world

X Elon Musk has paid multimillion-dollar fines in Brazil to settle a dispute with a judge who banned the platform in Latin America’s largest market over disinformation.

But the platform transferred the money to the wrong account, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered X’s closure in August, said on Friday.

X, formerly known as Twitter, was fined $5.2 million for failing to comply with a series of court orders.

Moraes confirmed that the social networking site had paid the entire amount, but to a different account than the one indicated in the court order, and ordered the funds to be immediately redirected.

Moraes blocked X on August 31 after Musk refused to delete dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading disinformation and failed to appoint a new legal representative in the country as ordered.

X, which had 22 million users in Brazil before Moraes blocked it, hopes that paying the fines will end the dispute.

Last week it said it had complied with other court requests, including the appointment of a legal representative in Brazil.

The clash between Musk and Moraes turned into a high-stakes battle closely watched around the world as a test of both free speech and the fight against disinformation.

A furious Musk attacked Moraes over the ban, calling him an “evil dictator” and calling him “Voldemort” after the “Harry Potter” villain.

However, he has been much nicer on the issue in recent days and X seemed willing to do whatever it takes to get the ban lifted.

The platform briefly resumed operations in Brazil in mid-September after a technical workaround it said was “unintentional.”

However, he stopped working again when Moraes threatened him with further penalties.

X’s fight with Moraes began during Brazil’s 2022 presidential election campaign, when Moraes ordered the company to deactivate the accounts of supporters of failed far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.

The dispute escalated following attacks on federal buildings in Brasilia by Bolsonaro supporters following the January 2023 inauguration of Bolsonaro’s leftist rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as president.